[Dallas Morning News]The next big thing out of China? Yi Jianlian

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The next big thing out of China? Yi Jianlian

NBA scouts say teenager may become the best player yet out of China


11:11 PM CDT on Monday, June 28, 2004


By EDDIE SEFKO / The Dallas Morning News



PLANO – He has big, strong legs. He has long, active arms. He has basketball skills that translate into any language. And he's got acne.

Yi Jianlian is the next big thing that will be exported from China to the NBA, even if his 7-foot frame isn't nearly as burly as the only three players from that country who have made it to basketball's biggest and best stage. In June 2006, everybody in the pro basketball world expects Yi to be in New York, shaking David Stern's hand after his name is called out as a lottery selection in the NBA draft.

Yi is playing for Mavericks assistant Del Harris, who is head coach of the Chinese Olympic team. At 16, he is easily the youngest member of the 15-player team, which will be whittled to 12 before the Athens Games. And he's one of the best, too.

"He has NBA potential, no question about that," Harris says. "He's a good kid who is getting better all the time."

And he is breaking a stereotypical mold of Chinese big men. While Houston Rockets All-Star Yao Ming is the standard for Chinese players, Mengke Bateer and Wang Zhi-Zhi are other 7-footers who have stuck in the NBA.

Yi's lower body is sturdy, but his upper frame looks teenage frail. Suffice it to say there's plenty of room for him to get acquainted with a Bowflex machine.

But there is more for him to offer than the strength that figures to come with age.

"He's an inside player, but he's very athletic," Harris says. "The guy can fly. He's a good runner and jumper and has a nice shooting touch."

Yi is merely happy to be going through the Chinese national team experience at such a young age. He speaks little English. But through an interpreter, he is thankful that a few years at China's "sports school" have put him in position to be the fourth Chinese player in the NBA.

"Everybody knows the NBA is the best, and maybe someday I will be there," he says. "For now, I just want to play for my country. It's a great honor."

Yi's first exposure in the Dallas-Fort Worth area came Sunday when he and his teammates played an exhibition against a group of local pros, led by former Houston Rockets point guard Tierre Brown. Yi came up with several nice plays, particularly in the second half when the Chinese team routed the locals.

"We've been watching him for a couple of years and there's no doubt about his skill level," says Joe Ash, a scout for the Indiana Pacers who is among the legion of talent evaluators who are at the Coca-Cola Global Games and also watching the Chinese exhibitions that continue Thursday in Fort Worth.

"He's got a lot of raw tools, and every time you see him, he seems like he's getting better. He's no secret in our league."

Many scouts see Yi as a top-five pick when he is eligible for the draft at 18. His abilities, not to mention his future, are based on the fact that China has opened its doors to the NBA in the last four years. Wang was the first, joining the Mavericks in 2001. The marriage didn't last long, but it was a precursor to Bateer and, of course, Yao, who was the No. 1 overall draft pick in 2002 and is among the best centers in the league.

Yi has been a prodigy for several years in China, according to Ye Quinghui, an official with the Chinese Basketball Federation. Yi's upside is considerable, and he is regarded as one of the most fundamentally sound players in the country.

But it is his athleticism that could set him apart. China has not produced any smaller players who have had NBA ability. None of the best guards in the country are considered to have a shot of playing anywhere other than the Chinese professional league, which has limited competition.

Yi could open the door to other perimeter-oriented players to reach the NBA.

"He's been a very big surprise to me," Yao says. "I believe he can do something big."

In just a month working with Harris, Yi has increased his learning curve. The chance to get molded by an NBA coach is something Yao never had until he was drafted.

"He's just starting out, but he has such potential," Harris says. "In just a month, I've seen him get so much better. He's got a lot of potential to be an outstanding player internationally and even possibly in the NBA – if it works out that way for him and the Chinese Basketball Federation."

That, and time, may be the only thing standing between Yi and the NBA.

E-mail esefko@dallasnews.com


THE KEY ON YI

Age: 16

Ht./Wt.: 7-0/230

His game bears a resemblance to: Dirk Nowitzki, although his shot isn't nearly as good from the perimeter. He is extremely athletic running the floor and handles the ball well for a 7-footer

His place on the court: Eventually, he'll probably be a power forward in the NBA, but he's quick enough to survive at small forward.

What they're saying: "The guy can fly." – Del Harris, coach of the Chinese Olympic team